SAN FRANCISCO — When the Giants signed reliever Mark Melancon in 2017, the intent was for him to be the anchor of a bullpen that would be pitching deep into October every season.
That, of course, has not come to pass.
In the two years prior to signing a four-year, $62 million contract with San Francisco, Melancon saved 98 games. In his two years in San Francisco, he’s saved only 14.
“Obviously it wasn’t the first two years that I envisioned or wanted,” Melancon said. “Bad timing, but you gotta get through it.”
Injury and inconsistency are to blame for Melancon’s precipitous slide, but heading into year three of his Giants tenure, the 33-year-old reliever is optimistic that he can start to re-write his legacy in orange and black.